It’s the final full week of the presidential campaign as former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris make their final pitch to voters. And McDonald’s is bringing the Quarter Pounder back after a deadly E. coli outbreak. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Oct. 28, 2024.

Well-known names show support for presidential candidates

It was a weekend full of big rallies, big speeches and big names as Republican nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris aimed their sights on undecided voters with just over a week to go until Election Day — hoping celebrities and well-known figures will help get their message out. 

After recording a three-hour long podcast with Joe Rogan on Friday, Oct. 25, and speaking at an event in the battleground state of Pennsylvania Saturday, Oct. 26, former President Trump held a rally Sunday night, Oct. 27, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Trump was joined by high-profile names like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, pro wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan, and former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. 

One guest who was not listed as an expected speaker, surprising the MSG crowd, former first lady Melania Trump, who introduced her husband. 

SURPRISE APPEARANCE: Former first lady Melania Trump stuns crowd with rare appearance to support her husband at his historic Madison Square Garden rally. pic.twitter.com/jjar9Mvk8n

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 28, 2024

“Let us charge together with a shared vision that builds on American greatness,” she said. “Let’s seize this moment and create a country for tomorrow — the future that we deserve.” 

The former president then took the stage, speaking for over an hour, telling his supporters why a second Trump presidency would be better than a Harris administration. 

“On issue after issue, Kamala broke it, but I will fix it,” he said. “And we’re going to fix it.” 

Meanwhile, Vice President Harris was joined by Beyoncé at a rally in Houston on Friday and former first lady Michelle Obama during a stop in Michigan on Saturday. 

“I got to ask myself: why on Earth is this race even close?” Obama said. “I lay awake at night wondering, ‘What in the world is going on?’” 

In Philadelphia, Hollywood stars Leonardo di Caprio and Robert De Niro stumped for the vice president over the weekend. Harris then spoke at a campaign event in Philly Sunday, talking about the importance of this election. 

“We know this is going to be a tight race. We will win,” she vowed. 

On Monday, another rally will be held in Philadelphia in support of Vice President Harris with Bruce Springsteen and former President Barack Obama. Former President Trump will be holding a rally in Atlanta, Georgia.

Comedian’s comment on Puerto Rico at Trump event sparks controversy

One particular moment from former President Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally Sunday night is causing a stir. 

Before Trump took the stage, comedian and podcaster Tony Hinchcliffe was one of the speakers who addressed the crowd. In his remarks, Hinchcliffe focused his attention on the United States territory of Puerto Rico. 

“There’s a lot going on. I don’t know if you know this but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now,” Hinchcliffe said, “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” 

In response to the comedian’s comment, Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez issued a statement saying, “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.” 

Hinchcliffe’s comment drew instant criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, including the chairman of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico. In response, prominent Puerto Rican figures including entertainers, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Ricky Martin all posted support for Kamala Harris on social media. 

Gov. Walz and @AOC react to this clip: “When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that's what they think about you. It's what they think about anyone who makes less money than them… I want every Puerto Rican in Philadelphia and Reading and… https://t.co/L5GdSvLJWT pic.twitter.com/y9DQTABM0v

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) October 27, 2024

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reacted to Hinchcliffe during a livestream of the event. 

“People in Puerto Rico are citizens,” Walz said. “They pay taxes, and they serve in the military at almost a higher rate than anybody else.” 

“It’s super upsetting. My family is from Puerto Rico. I’m Puerto Rican,” Ocasio-Cortez added.  

Hinchcliffe later responded on social media saying in part, “These people have no sense of humor. Wild that a vice presidential candidate would take time out of his ‘busy schedule’ to analyze a joke taken out of context to make it seem racist. I love Puerto Rico and vacation there. I made fun of everyone…watch the whole set.”

Iraq says Israel violated its airspace during attacks on Iran

Iraq has accused Israel of violating its airspace when it carried out a series of strikes on Iran over the weekend. In a statement released Monday morning, an Iraqi government spokesperson said Iraq has sent a letter to the United Nations to condemn the purported breach. 

On Saturday, Oct. 26, Israel struck military targets inside Iran in response to Iranian missile attacks on Israel earlier this month. Iran has also claimed Israel used Iraqi airspace to carry out the attacks and accused the U.S. of being in on it. 

American officials have said Israel did notify the U.S. about the strikes, but the U.S. was not directly involved.

“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel.”

Watch IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari talk about the… pic.twitter.com/1OOss3etpV

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2024

According to the Iraqi statement, Iraq’s prime minister has told the country’s foreign ministry to raise the alleged Israeli violation with U.S. officials. 

In Gaza over the weekend, an Israeli strike killed several people at a school that’s being used to shelter displaced Palestinians. The Israeli military claims it was targeting Hamas operatives, and a Hamas command center was embedded in the compound. 

Meanwhile, Egypt’s president announced Sunday his country has proposed a two-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. During the proposed cease-fire four hostages held in Gaza would be freed. 

Israel and Hamas have not yet responded to the proposal, but cease-fire talks are being held in Qatar.

McDonald’s to resume selling Quarter Pounders in coming days

Quarter Pounders are back on the McDonald’s menu after a deadly E. coli outbreak. The fast-food chain said it will resume selling the iconic burger at all restaurants in the coming days, but it will look a bit different in 900 restaurants across 12 states. 

Those restaurants will resume sales of Quarter Pounders without slivered onions. While a specific cause of the outbreak has not been confirmed, it has been linked to a produce company that supplies the onions used for the Quarter Pounders in certain areas. 

The E. coli outbreak has led to 75 illnesses across 13 states, including 22 hospitalizations and one death, according to the CDC, with most occurring in Colorado and Nebraska.

Nvidia briefly overtakes Apple as world’s most valuable company

Nvidia dethroned Apple as the world’s most valuable company — briefly. It came after a record-setting rally in the stock market on Friday, spurred by demand for the company’s specialized artificial intelligence chips. 

Nvidia’s market value briefly touched $3.53 trillion, just slightly above Apple’s $3.52 trillion. However, Apple ended the day on top. 

Nvidia ended the day with a market value of $3.47 trillion, still a win for the company, as it ended the day up. 

Both companies are part of the S&P 500’s magnificent seven, which are driving the index to record levels.

Shohei Ohtani expected to play Game 3 as World Series moves to NY

As the World Series takes the cross-country trip to Yankee Stadium for Game 3 Monday night, Los Angeles Dodgers fans are breathing a sigh of relief over their star player. Shohei Ohtani is expected to play Monday after injuring his left shoulder in Game 2 Saturday.

Shohei Ohtani is expected to play #WorldSeries Game 3, Dave Roberts tells ESPN.

(h/t @karlravechespn) pic.twitter.com/nGfI2OggO8

— MLB (@MLB) October 27, 2024

The injury occurred when Ohtani slid into second base during the 7th inning. He left the game, giving Dodgers fans a scare even with the team winning the game and being up 2-0 in the series. 

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told ESPN Sunday that Ohtani will be playing as the New York Yankees are set to host a World Series game for the first time since 2009. 

Major League Baseball is hoping Ohtani’s quick recovery will help continue the series’ high ratings. So far, the 2024 Fall Classic has averaged 14.5 million viewers per game — the most viewers through the first two games of a World Series since 2017.